21 year old GM Evgeny Alekseev, winner of the Super Final of the Russian national championship in December, has taken another step toward the world elite by winning the strongest open tournament in the international calendar. The Aeroflot Open regularly attracts an enormous turnout of strong grandmasters and this year's 88 player A1 group boasted 75. Players in the top 20 tend to avoid the cut-throat competition in these kind of events, leaving the next tier to contest the US$30,000 first prize. By winning outright on an unbeaten score of 7/9, Alekseev also earns an invitation to the prestigious Dortmund supertournament later in the year. It is in that event, going head-to-head against the best, that Alekseev can hope to break into the elite group of players.
Today's game is from the 7th round the Aeroflot Open and features Alekseev with White against the then tournament leader, GM Stanislav Novikov. To win this kind of event, one has to take risks to generate many wins against tough opposition. Here White launches an all-out assault on the black king, finally breaking through down the h-file.
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. h3 d5 5. Nf3 Nf6
By transposition the fianchetto variation of the solid Caro-Kann defence. Instead of the safe 6 Bd3, White's next move provokes a sharp contest for the centre – giving White kingside attacking chances at the cost of the right to castle. 6. e5!? Ne4 7. Nxe4 dxe4 8. Ng5 c5
Black must strike at the White centre or be overrun. 9. Bc4 O-O 10. c3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Nc6?!
It is possible that delaying this move so as to keep the a8-h1 diagonal open for the light squared bishop and retain the possibility of a future ... e3!? - sacrificing the e-pawn to extend its influence - holds better chances. 12. Be3 b5 13. Bb3 ---
Not 13 Bxb5?? Qa5+ winning the bishop. 13. --- Bb7
Here 13 ... Qa5+ would have prevented the possibility of 14 0-0, but White wants his rook on h1 to support the attack anyway. 14. h4! Qa5+ 15. Kf1 h5 16. g4! Rad8
White throws everything at the attack, since his centre cannot be maintained. Black must lose a little material as a result of White's threats, but hopes to create active counterplay in the centre and against the exposed white king. 17. gxh5 Nxe5 18. hxg6 Nf3 19. Nxf7 Rxf7
The exchange must go, since if 19... Rb8, 20 h5 & 21 h6 is crushing. 20. Bxf7+ Kf8 21. h5 b4 22. h6 Ba6+ 23. Kg2 Bf6 24. h7 Kg7 25. d5?! ---
In this kind of position there are so many possibilities that even top grandmasters miss combinations: Here 25 Bh6+! Kh8 26 Bg8! sets up the threat 27 g7+ Bxg7 28 Bxg7+ Kxg7 29 h8=Q+ etc which Black can only stop by giving up his queen with 26...Qg5+. 25. --- Qc7?
Missing the spectacular coup-de-grace that White's last move prepared. 25... Kh8 would have prolonged the defence. 26. h8=Q+! Rxh8 27. Rxh8 Kxh8 28. Qh1+ Nh4+ 29. Qxh4+!! Bxh4 30. Bd4+ Bf6 31. Bxf6+ exf6 32. Rh1+ Kg7 33. Rh7+ Kf8 34. g7+! Resigns
After 34 ... Kxf7 35 g8=Q+ Kxg8 36 Rxc7 White has an easy endgame win.
Alekseev takes Aeroflot Open
Problem: Black to play and mate in 3.
21 year old GM Evgeny Alekseev, winner of the Super Final of the Russian national championship in December, has taken another step toward the world elite by winning the strongest open tournament in the international calendar. The Aeroflot Open regularly attracts an enormous turnout of strong grandmasters and this year's 88 player A1 group boasted 75. Players in the top 20 tend to avoid the cut-throat competition in these kind of events, leaving the next tier to contest the US$30,000 first prize. By winning outright on an unbeaten score of 7/9, Alekseev also earns an invitation to the prestigious Dortmund supertournament later in the year. It is in that event, going head-to-head against the best, that Alekseev can hope to break into the elite group of players.
Today's game is from the 7th round the Aeroflot Open and features Alekseev with White against the then tournament leader, GM Stanislav Novikov. To win this kind of event, one has to take risks to generate many wins against tough opposition. Here White launches an all-out assault on the black king, finally breaking through down the h-file.
1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7
3. Nc3 c6
4. h3 d5
5. Nf3 Nf6
By transposition the fianchetto variation of the solid Caro-Kann defence. Instead of the safe 6 Bd3, White's next move provokes a sharp contest for the centre – giving White kingside attacking chances at the cost of the right to castle.
6. e5!? Ne4
7. Nxe4 dxe4
8. Ng5 c5
Black must strike at the White centre or be overrun.
9. Bc4 O-O
10. c3 cxd4
11. cxd4 Nc6?!
It is possible that delaying this move so as to keep the a8-h1 diagonal open for the light squared bishop and retain the possibility of a future ... e3!? - sacrificing the e-pawn to extend its influence - holds better chances.
12. Be3 b5
13. Bb3 ---
Not 13 Bxb5?? Qa5+ winning the bishop.
13. --- Bb7
Here 13 ... Qa5+ would have prevented the possibility of 14 0-0, but White wants his rook on h1 to support the attack anyway.
14. h4! Qa5+
15. Kf1 h5
16. g4! Rad8
White throws everything at the attack, since his centre cannot be maintained. Black must lose a little material as a result of White's threats, but hopes to create active counterplay in the centre and against the exposed white king.
17. gxh5 Nxe5
18. hxg6 Nf3
19. Nxf7 Rxf7
The exchange must go, since if 19... Rb8, 20 h5 & 21 h6 is crushing.
20. Bxf7+ Kf8
21. h5 b4
22. h6 Ba6+
23. Kg2 Bf6
24. h7 Kg7
25. d5?! ---
In this kind of position there are so many possibilities that even top grandmasters miss combinations: Here 25 Bh6+! Kh8 26 Bg8! sets up the threat 27 g7+ Bxg7 28 Bxg7+ Kxg7 29 h8=Q+ etc which Black can only stop by giving up his queen with 26...Qg5+.
25. --- Qc7?
Missing the spectacular coup-de-grace that White's last move prepared. 25... Kh8 would have prolonged the defence.
26. h8=Q+! Rxh8
27. Rxh8 Kxh8
28. Qh1+ Nh4+
29. Qxh4+!! Bxh4
30. Bd4+ Bf6
31. Bxf6+ exf6
32. Rh1+ Kg7
33. Rh7+ Kf8
34. g7+! Resigns
After 34 ... Kxf7 35 g8=Q+ Kxg8 36 Rxc7 White has an easy endgame win.
1-0
Solution: 1 ... Qxf2+! 2 Kxf2 Be3+ 3 Kf1 Nxg3#